I help entrepreneurs leapfrog over the typical potholes that derail most small businesses with inspiration, motivation, education, and support across a wide range of business topics drawn from over a decade of running my own business, teaching entrepreneurship for the City of New York, and coaching and consulting privately with dozens of women and minority small business owners. Honestly, why go it alone when help is an email away?
Scout's Honor
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You may not know it to meet me today but I was a terribly shy child up until my mid-teens. It's honestly a wonder to me that I had any friends at all before I started coming out of my shell. But I did. When I was about 7 or 8, one of my best friends decided to join our local Brownie troop and convinced me I should, too. So, I did, mostly because, while I did have a couple of friends, I didn't have many and my desire to keep the ones I had was very palpable. If you don't know what Brownie's are, they're junior Girl Scouts, similar to Cub Scouts. I lasted one year and then stuffed that ill-fitting dull brown uniform in the way back of my childhood bedroom closet and never looked at it again. The only things I truly loved about my Brownie experience were the sing-alongs. I still love a good sing-along, to be honest. There's just something about voices raised up together. This is something I've always known about myself ever since I was about 4 years old: I'm not a joiner of social clubs. They're not for me. Give me a committee, a board, an action group, I'm all in. But a group designed solely for socializing? That's a hard pass. That said, I do understand their value, especially for those who find it difficult to meet the need and want of belonging on their own. Belonging is such a powerful human motivator that I recommend every entrepreneur define for themselves how they are nurturing it for their customers through their mission, messaging, and experiences. Even though my own Scout experience wasn't great, as an adult, I have ordered and eaten my fair share of Girl Scout cookies. Let's face it, it's a right of passage in any office when colleagues you never see otherwise appear with the order forms and those telltale boxes litter desktops and communal kitchen counters a few weeks later. I don't have children and have never had to beseech colleagues and friends to support a kid's extracurricular activities via the purchase of cookies or candy or anything else. Until today. Today, I'm asking you to support Girl Scout Troop 6000 by purchasing cookies from them or making a direct donation, if you can afford it. This troop is really special because it is comprised entirely of girls housed in the New York City shelter system. If ever there were kids more in need of belonging and believing in themselves, I'd be surprised. So, this week of St. Valentine please show these girls some love and that they don't just belong with each other but with a worldwide community of people who are rooting for their success and wellbeing. Of course, if you need some help deepening the sense of belonging you're creating with your business, hit me up. I'd love to support you. Until next time, Your success is our strategy!No longer want to receive my newsletter but don't want to miss my special offers and announcements? Click here. |
Easily Said & Done
I help entrepreneurs leapfrog over the typical potholes that derail most small businesses with inspiration, motivation, education, and support across a wide range of business topics drawn from over a decade of running my own business, teaching entrepreneurship for the City of New York, and coaching and consulting privately with dozens of women and minority small business owners. Honestly, why go it alone when help is an email away?
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Have you seen the video of McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski trying to promote the new Big Arch burger ahead of its March 3rd launch? How about any of the many, many videos or memes negging on it for a host of reasons, including how Kempczinski refers to the burger as "a delicious product" or his failure to take a real bite of it, seeming almost disgusted by it. To me, there are three great marketing stories going on here. 1. Going Viral Isn't the Goal Yes, there is such a thing as bad PR and...
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